Bird Proof Your Home

Guest Author - Mavis Metcalf

If you have a human baby in your home that is just starting to crawl and move around, it is necessary to baby proof the home. The same is true if you have a bird, especially a parrot species who will be out of his/her cage. The difference is that the human baby will grow up & not need the same restrictions all his life, but your home will always have to be bird proof if you keep birds.

Birds like to chew and are attracted to plants, so poisonous plants will have to be removed. Not all plants are poisonous, but many are. You can take a look at Gillian's Help Desk listed in the Diseases & Warnings links section to see a comprehensive list of both safe and unsafe plants as well as other toxins.

Another worry with a bird that chews, especially if you live in an older home is that the paint that may be on the walls and woodwork might have lead in it.

There are many dangers to your bird in the kitchen. A stove burner turned on without a pot sitting on it can obviously cause serious injury to a bird landing on it. An open pot with boiling water in it is also very dangerous. Even if your bird is locked in the cage in the kitchen there is a serious danger if you use Teflon coated products. The fumes from Teflon, if overheated can kill a bird before you have even had a chance to realize what happened.

Birds are very sensitive to air pollutants and things like smoke from cigarettes, aerosol sprays, scented candles and cleaning supplies could make your bird very ill or could cause death.

In any room of the home, danger can exist for your bird if you allow him to walk on the floor. You must be consistent & absolutely every time he lands on the floor to walk somewhere, you must pick him up & get him off the floor. It is so easy to forget he is on the floor if you get up to go answer the door and because your bird trusts you completely, he would never try to fly out of your way as you approach him.

You must make sure that your birdís cage is not in line with the vent from either the furnace or air conditioning unit. The temperature changes, as the unit goes on & off are certainly not good for your feathered friend.

So, please take some time to look around & make your home safe for your bird. You will be rewarded by having your companion happy and healthy for many years.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to drop by the Bird Forum anytime, or join the Bird Chat on Saturdays at 9:30 eastern time, 8:30 central time and 6:30 pacific time.

After many years of pet bird ownership, I have decided to write e-books about the care of some of these wonderful birds.

Amazon.com has a lot of great bird books to provide you with information on your feathered friend.